OpenSCAD is a scripted 3d Design Tool. When you first Open the editor you will not see anything and it can be a bit daunting to know where to start.
The Interface
There are three main pieces of the user interface.
Editor
On left there is a white area, this is the editor. You will write your script here that describes the 3d object.
Console
On the bottom right there is a short window, this is the console. Messages regarding the operation of the program will appear here.
Render Window
In the upper right two thirds is the Render Window, when you have results they will be displayed there.
Your First Code
The first thing we will draw is a box. In the Editor windows type:
cube();
Then press f5. You should see a small cube in the center of the screen. Now let’s add a sphere.
Move down to the second line and type:
sphere();
Again, press f5
You will see a very ugly looking sphere ( we can fix that later );
Navigation
Rotate View ( Orbit )
To rotate the View Left Click with your mouse Hold and Drag, the view will orbit around the center point of the screen
Pan View
To move the view to the left, right, up or down Right Click, Hold and Drag. The view will pan opposite the direction your move your mouse. Think of it as the “Camera” stays still and you are sliding the whole world in the direction you move your mouse.
Panic ( Reset View)
In some situation you may find that you have lost your model. In this case click on the Circle Shaped arrow between the Render View and the console. This will reset your view to the default
Zoom
There are three option for inspecting your model more closely. Zoom Out, Zoom In and Zoom Fit.
Zoom Fit, fits the view to your model. You can see your whole model withint the render window. Zoom In and Out work as you would expect.
That’s it for this one good luck SCADding !